In Halfmoon, race for supervisor first since 1999

HALFMOON — A southern Saratoga County town that has been touted as one of the state’s fastest-developing communities will see its first contested election in 12 years next month.
The race for the supervisor’s job in Halfmoon pits incumbent Melinda “Mindy” Wormuth, a Republican seeking her third two-year term, against Deanna Stephenson, a Democrat making her first run for public office.
Stephenson is challenging for the leadership post in a town that has been dominated by one political party for more than four decades.
The last supervisor’s race took place in 1999 when Thomas Murray, a building inspector, ran unsuccessfully on the Conservative line after losing a bid to obtain the GOP committee’s endorsement.
In Halfmoon, the Republican committee, which includes numerous town employees and elected officials, including all five members of the Town Board, has firmly controlled the town government for years. Stephenson is questioning that grip, including nepotism in hiring decisions and the rapid pace of residential development that she said is symptomatic of poor planning and the influence of developers on town government.
Town officials have countered that Stephenson’s assertions are off base, including concerns they have engaged in head-in-the-sand budgeting while accumulating $41 million in bond debt for a park, new Town Hall and water-system improvements that help feed new development. They say developers donate to their campaigns because they support the way the government is operating, not to buy influence.Sunday’s full story about the race here.